Photophonographic apparatus



Sept 25, 1934i l A IsHour- 1,974,900

PHOTOPHONOGRAPHIC APPARATUS Filed Oc't. 8. 1932 t, @mmfhm r-{F Musulmani INVENTOR- ALLEN 5H P VBY pulses.

Patented Sept. 25, 1934 1,974,900 PHOTOPHONOGRAPHIC APPARATUS Allen Shoup, Oaklyn, N.` J., assignor to Radio Corporation Ware of America,- a corporation of Dela- Almlfwatfmn octoberl s, 1932, serial No. 636,803 4 claims. (or. 25o-41.5)

This invention relates to photophonographic apparatus and more particularly to devicesv for controlling the volume of sound `reproduction in such apparatus.

It is customary in the talking motion picture art, as well as in the devices generally known as film phonographs, to provide a photoelectric cell for picking up light variations caused by variations in the light transmitting capacity of the portion of the film known as the soundtrack. In order to actuate the photoelectric cell, a constant light source is provided in the form of an incandescent lamp generally termed the exciter lamp, from which light is concentrated in the form of a very ne line upon the'soundtrack and the variable eclipsing ofv this light by the photographic impressions upon the soundtrack produce the variations in light striking the photocell which thereby cause corresponding electrical irn- These electrical impulses are amplified through a suitable amplifying apparatus and transformed by an appropriate loudspeaker into sound waves.

l The exciter lamp is required to provide illumination of very uniform intensity, and in -my application, Serial No. 597,819 iiled March 9,1932 and upon'which the present invention is an improvement, I describe the operation of the exciter lamp by a thermionic oscillator in order to avoid the hum which would be produced ifther lamp were operated directly from alternating current and at the same time to avoid the necessity of direct current. Y

It is necessary from time to time tov vary the volume of sound output from the apparatus by means of an appropriate volume control, and this has been heretofore accomplished in numerous ways as, for example, by varying the degree of amplification of the vthermionic amplifying means used, yin any of the numerous ways in which this can be accomplished, or in Varying the energy transferred between the photoelectr'ic cell and amplifying means, or' between the amplifying means and the loudspeaker.

In the said application Serial No. 597,819, I describe-an additional type of volume control', to wit: control of the volume by variation inthe potential applied to the photoelectric cell'.

Inorderto secure a maximum volume of'sound reproductions from such apparatus it is necessary to operate the filament of the exciter lamp at a relatively high intensity, and likewise it is necessary to have a high potential available for application to the photocell. In the present invention I provide a volume control wherein both the exciter lamp intensity and the voltage applied to the photocell are simultaneously varied in order to control the volume.

One object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for securing the maximum life from the exciter lamp.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for securing the maximum life from the photocell.

Another object of the invention is to prevent excessive voltage from being applied to the photocell in an attempt to secure adequate volume when the exciter lamp brilliancy is inadequate.l

Another object of the invention is to prevent excessive current being passed through the exciter lamp in order to raise the general volume level when the photocell is defective.

Another object of the invention is to provide a volume control which will produce a minimum of audible effect from its own operation.

Another object of the invention is the provision of method and apparatus for preventing an undesirably large requirement of power from the high frequency oscillator when a large'amount of power is not required to produce the necessary volume. Y

Another object of the invention is to Aprovide a volume control which is more ecientelectrically than those of the prior art.

The single gure of the drawing shows my invention as applied to a commercial type of talking motion picture apparatus including the ampliiier circuit of my application Serial No. 597,819.

In the drawing, 1 indicates the photocell, 2 indicates the exciter lamp and-3 indicates the oscillator tube which supplies current to the exciter lamp and the circuits of these three elements will be hereinafter described in more detail. l

Amplifier tubes are indicated at 4, 5, 6 and 7 and, with their attendant circuits, constitute the thermionic amplifier which serves to amplifythe impulses from the photocell 1 and transfer them to the loudspeaker 8. The circuit of the ampliier is immaterial so far as the subject-matter of thev present application is concerned, and is described in more detail and 'claimed in my copending application above referred to and was described by me in a paper presented before the Society of Motion Picture Engineers on March 10, 1932. This amplifier is of the general type used commercially in what is known as the RCA Victor Type PG-38 Talking motion picture apparatus. At 9 is indicated the rectifying tube which rectifies the alternating current supplied through the transformer to pro- Vide the plate voltage for the Various amplifier tubes as Well as for the photocell and the oscillator tube 3.

The transformer 10 also supplies current to a threading lamp 11 which provides general illumination aboutv the. machine for the opera.- tion thereof,y and it also provides current for the larnents or heaters of the various amplier tubes. The picture lamp of the projectorisv lirdicated at 12.

9 passes through a filter comprising the con densers 13, 14 and 15, the resistors. 16 and 1.7, and the inductance 18 serve to. smooth out the ripples in the current and the negative side then passes to ground as indicated and to the conductor 19 While the positive sidepasses` to the conductor 20. The drop across the resistance 21 and 22 establishes the potential of the photocel'lx. anode 23 and current also passes trom. thee conductor. 20. through the coil 2st to the plate of the oscillator tube 3.

The: volume control is accomplished through the variableI resistor 25-.. In. the: photocel-l, circut, the resistor 25 is in. series with the resistor. 261v and 27. which. connect the cathode: of. the photocell. L to the' negatioe conductor 19., Since the potential applied to the: anode of. the photo cel-lY is established b5;- the dropacross the resistors 21. andi 22', andthe photocel-lV and thef 12e sisters. 25,. 26', and 27: are in series between this. anode-4 connection and theconductor 19, it will be .apparent that anyy variation the: resistor 25 will! cause. a. variation the potential. applied tothephotocell 1.,. and thereby' produce a. corresponding Vari-ation in the output therefrom. output applied to the control grida ot the ampl'iier tube 4f through'. a condenser 28..

The ampl-i'er. tube 4. is: resistance-capacitycoupledi to: the ampli-lier tube inturn is Jtransformer-co-ui-iled. to the push-pull: power stage including. the tubes. (if and 7 which reed the loudspeaker 8.

The. exciter lamp, 2. is, as previously stated, .si-.1pplied with high-frequency current by the oscillator tubeA it.. 'Ehe coil 2A in= theA plate circuit of the tube, 3.- inductively coupled' to, the1 coil. 29,-

in the grid circuit thereot, and these coils. are inductiyely cou-pled. to, the output coil 30 which is connected to,A the exciter lomp 2L The plate current of thel tube. is suppliedl through the conductor 2.0 and the coi-I. 24, passesthrough. the tuloe 3.- tothe ilarnent thereof and through the winding, 3:1 ot the transormer. 10 to thefconductor 3.2,` whence it returns to the grounded conductor 19 through.' ther volume-control resistoi: 25.

It will be apparent that any change in the adjustment of the variable resistor 25l produce4 a. corresponding: clfiangev the voltage applied. between the plate and nia-ment of the tube: 3 and there will be a corresponding change in: the power output` of the oscillator and. therefore: in the briglntness` of the exciter lamp 2..

'I-Ihe resistor 2in/lay be4 an. ordinary Wire-wound rheostat having. uniform. steps. o resistance since a Wire-Wound rheostat` pro duces. no. diiculty from. noise in. this circuit. and the desired exponential 3 efEect in the volume control.. is secured. through the simultaneous control of the oscillator and the photocell.

The foregoing circuit and method of operation presents many advantages over volume controls of the prior art. In the first place With this system about ve times more gain and about ve times. more lite of. the exciter lamp are possible than with the ordinary grid type of volume control. An additional advantage is that in order to* secure normal Volume both the photocell and the exciter lamp are operated at normal voltages vThe rectiiied alternating current from the tube irrespective of the line voltage applied to the apparatus, since an: excessive line voltage will produce an undesirable volume of reproduced sound and? the` operator, in decreasing the volume to a more appropriate value, Will necessarily decrease the photocell and exciter lamp voltages to similarly appropriate values.

Itvvill. be apparent that the scope of my invention is not limited to its application in the type of amplifier' shown or to the use with thev particular type: oil photcceli; or exciter lamp sho-Wn.r For example. the variable resistor might. be placed.. the positive instead 0I^ the negative connection'. or both the photocell. and; the: oscillator tube, a1- thouipn. 'this is not the preterredl formi ot:` the in: vcntionl ou accountv or the high potential at which the variable resistor 25 is1 necessari-1yv maintained; with a corresponding. dang-.er oii shock to -thooperator. 1f. thev exciter. lamps were ot ai voltn age typev adapted: to operate from. the current supplied through the rectifier 9' and itsattenda-nt tilter, the resi-ster ZSLVJouldOi-course be so located as to` control ezsciterl lampi voltage in. substantially the saine. manner that it novv controls theA photocell vol-tage. It the exfciter lam-p wwe operated. from an independent source ot power. such', for. example. as ai storage battery orv a stepdown transfonner.,r a separate resistor would be usedbetweeni. the exciter lamp and ther said. separateV source olf'. power and. resistor would their be connected. metile-anicallyA in tandem with the resistor 25 so that. aunitary control means would simultaneously vary both the photoee-ll. and thefessciter lamp voltages- What claim is:

1. Photophonographic appaiatusy comprising. a photoelectric means,l af light.- sou-roe for exciting said. photoelectritc means aridun-itary? means for controlling" the brightness of light. source i andv the potentiall applied. to said; photoelectric means.

2. Photophonographic apparatus comprising. a photoelectric means, a light source for exciting said photoelectri'c means and. unitary means. tor, simultaneously. oon-trolling' the brightness oi said light source and. the potential applied. to.. said photoelectricxneans..

3.. Photophonograph-ic. apparatus comprising a photoelectric cell, an exciter lamp; a. therrnion-ic oscillator arranged tof supplyl saidv exciter lampy with high frequency current, and a single. meansforcontrolling the current supplied. to saidphoto* cell and said oscillator.- i

4e: The method oat'v controlling the. volume of sound reproductionVK for photophonographic. apparatus comprising the step of Sinin-italieously and similarly varying both the electricalv andthe, luminous excitation of aphotoelectric ALLEN SEGUE..

vroo 

